About Us
by The Vicious Circle
Summary: ; "There is no we, Hermione. You chose him." Harry/Hermione. Oneshot.


_Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter series.  
Summary: "There is no we, Hermione. You chose him."  
Author's Note: My first Harry/Hermione fic! First Harry Potter fic actually… A bit of Ron bashing… My thoughts were sort of all over the place, so the fic didn't exactly turn out the way I wanted it. But overall I think it's okay. Please read and review! Thanks!_

**About Us**

_by: The Vicious Circle_

At eleven years old, he didn't know that she would become one of his best friends. At twelve years old, he didn't know that he would miss her so much when he needed her help. At thirteen years old, he didn't know what he would do without her anymore. At fourteen years old, he didn't know that someone else had an attraction towards her. At fifteen years old, he didn't know that the possibility of her actually dying scared him to hell. At sixteen years old, he didn't know that he was automatically signed up as best man for their future wedding.

Because at seventeen years old, he still believed he had a chance, once the other had walked out on them, and she chose to stay, _with him_.

But he was wrong. What a fool he had been. He always seemed to be wrong, and look how much trouble it had gotten him into over the years. Weren't things supposed to be easy for him? To the entire wizarding world, he was _the boy who lived_, _the 'chosen' one_. But to the only person he cared about, he was simply a _good friend_.

And now, she was getting married, to _him_, the other best friend. He wasn't anything except a bloody sidekick. He had gotten angry and selfish over the stupidest things more than once during their so-called friendship. He didn't remember once when he, the _other best friend_ came in handy. It had been a silent war. It was a war Harry James Potter knew from day one that he would lose. How the hell did he let things get that far?

Now, he sat still in his seat, _at the reception of Ronald and Hermione Weasley's wedding_. They were making their rounds and talking to people, while he sat there, drowning himself in self-pity. The boy who lived was the boy who loved and now became the boy who wanted to kill himself from heartache. But that would be selfish, and god knows how the rest of the wizarding world would respond if they found out that Harry Potter committed suicide. Suppressed in his own thoughts, he didn't even notice when she came over and sat down next to him, without the husband.

"Harry," she said lightly getting his attention. He shifted his attention and stared at her, but said nothing, not a greeting nor a congratulation. She sighed. "I know what you're thinking."

"They always said I was predictable," he responded simply in that stubborn and aggravating voice she knew all too well.

"Come on, Harry," she insisted. "You out of all people should've seen this coming." Her words stung, just a bit. Yes, he had known all along. But it was hard to repress his hopes when they were so close. They were always _so close_, and just when he thought things would work out, reality came crashing on them, tearing them apart, and making their love impossible. "Tell me you're not beating yourself up because of this. Honestly."

He didn't respond. He looked at her for a moment, but then shifted his gaze.

_"Because!" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "It would be about us. It's already about us, only us. People see you as the chosen one. People see me as a smart witch. And if we got together, it would just grow. It's always going to be about us. What about him? We can't just do this to him."_

_"Do you think I want to be in this position? Bloody hell, if he feels left out, he and I can trade spots any time he wants! He can go kill Voldemort and win all the glory for himself if he wants to! I'll trade that for his normal life any time!"_

"_Honestly, Harry! He's your best friend! Do you really want a repeat of the beginning of the year where you two weren't talking? Is that what you want?"_

"_If that means being with you, then yes!"_

"Harry, please," she said. He could hear the strain her voice now. "I know you're probably upset about this, but you've got to accept it now. You've got to," she practically instructed.

"Is it so wrong of me to chase after something I want? Someone I love?" he retorted bitterly. He knew it was wrong to act like this, but his anger was getting the better of him.

"You're Harry Potter," she said as she sighed. "You can have anything you want, _anyone you want_," she answered emphasizing the last phrase.

"But I want you!" he growled adamantly as he stood up suddenly. Her hand had let go of his arm. Realizing that he was going to make a scene if he went any further, he walked away without a word. He heard her call his name and rush after him, but he didn't stop.

"Harry James Potter!" she shouted when they were a good distance away from the commotion. He stopped. It was a surprise that he didn't just disapparate, and smartly, she knew how to get his attention with the small chance she had. "You are not going to walk out on your best friend's wedding!" she said sternly.

"What best friends?" he snapped as he turned around fiercely and got up a little to close to her that she backed up, hitting the wall behind her. "When was the last time you lived up to your so called best friend role after the war? When was the last time we got together and hung out without talking about your relationship and your wedding? When was the last time you gave a damn about me? Huh?!" he shouted at her. It was a good thing they were far away from everyone else; otherwise, things would've gotten chaotic. He was breathing heavy already and was still dangerously close to her as she pressed against the wall.

She couldn't respond. In truth, she knew, they hadn't been there. After the war, yes, they still kept in contact and saw each other regularly, but the true and honest friendship had slowly dissolved. She had turned her attention to Ron, and he, had been left out. With guilt written all over them, her eyes slowly looked up into his. She swallowed, afraid of what was next.

"That's what I thought," he said rather dejectedly than she had anticipated. She tried to breathe evenly when she realized her heartbeat had quickened and her breathing was irregular. She couldn't remember the last time she saw him like this, wild and offbeat. But she did. She always lied to herself, but in truth, she would never forget. She could and would pretend to others that nothing happened. And she knew, it had hurt him badly.

"_Hermione, come on," he said gently._

"_I told you. Just drop it, okay? What you need to do is figure out where the rest of the horcruxes are and how to destroy them. That's what you're here for after all, isn't it? That's your mission right now. That's what you need to be after."_

"_Damn it, Hermione! How can I be looking for anything when I'm worrying about you?"_

"_Well, you don't need to worry. I'm perfectly fine," she retorted trying to hold her confidence._

"_You call crying practically every night perfectly fine?" he fired. "I don't think so."_

"_Nobody made it your job to worry. Nobody-"_

"_I made it my job, okay?" he snapped angrily. He didn't want to fight, but they had often come to this ever since Ron had left. It was all Ron's fault, but he wasn't going to admit that out loud. Didn't it seem like it was always Ron's fault? Oh, and just when they thought that he wasn't going to be around anymore, he shows up again, plays hero, and gets what he wants._

"_Why. Why then? Why would you ever-"_

"_Because I love you damn it!"_

She made him believe that she forgot everything, but she didn't. She could lie to them, but she couldn't lie to herself. The evidence was right in front of her. The memories were right there. She just chose not to act, and she knew that it had torn him apart.

"I haven't forgotten," she quietly stated as she reached for his hand again to prevent him from leaving. His head rose up and their eyes connected. He was searching for an answer and looked at her almost in a pleading manner. But he should've known better. "But it's too late." He lowered his head again, and motioned to leave. "Harry," she started, her voice pleading this time as she held on tightly to his hand, squeezing it, as if begging him not to leave her.

When he whipped around, his lips landed on hers, and everything disappeared around them. It was about this kiss. It was about this chance. It was about this moment. It was about them. He kissed her, and she kissed back.

But when she pulled back, he knew he has just caused himself more trouble. He would never be able to forget her, let alone the kiss they had just shared. And he had made it worse for her. So much for being a selfless hero…

"I'm sorry," he whispered. Their hands were no longer clasped together, so he took the initiative to leave, no longer able to bare this act anymore.

"I won't tell," she started. He paused in his step for a moment. "I won't tell Ron," she said. Ron, her husband whom she had married only a couple of hours ago, was nowhere to be seen. Had he even realized that his wife had run off for quite a while now and had just kissed their best friend? No, he wasn't aware. But it didn't really matter, did it? After all, at the end of the day, he would be the one beside her. And Harry would be alone, like he had always been.

"_Harry, come on. I know what you're thinking. But it's just not going to work out well. We just have to-" she started but stopped at his interruption._

"_There is no we, Hermione. You chose him."_


End file.
